Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Crossbow recommendations?

Looking for recommendations for a good quality crossbow in the $1k range for deer hunting. Thanks, the Creed is no longer an option for me.

bludog

Send me the $1K and I'll order you a brand new Centerpoint 380 Torment Whisper. Heck, I'll even throw in a Hawk scope with ranging capabilities and illuminated cross-hairs cuz that's the kind of guy I am.

Let me know if you want my address...

You could buy 2 good quality crossbows for that, or look into things like the Parker self cocker bows. https://www.parkerbows.com/product/concorde/

I'll second the Centerpoint recommendation.

Mine is a Sniper 370. I swapped the lousy scope for a Hawke.

About $400 into it, and I love it. Very accurate and quiet.

Check the reviews on Amazon.

Agree on the Parker bow but not sure about the self cocker. Friend has one and it is bulky, clumsy, etc... I have one of the better Parkers with over $900 in it. Very happy with it and have been using xbows for many years.

If you want the best and most accurate you will have to up the anty. I (and many many others) shot the Ravin crossbow at bowfest recently.

They had one setup and a target out at 200 yards. There was a 9 inch spot with a 3 inch spot in the center. I and all the others had never even touched a Ravin prior to that day. I took 6 shots and hit both the 9 and 3 inch spot at 200 yards as did the other men and women. Easy peasy. @00 yards and as good or better than modern Muzzleloaders. No effort, no practice, just point and shoot.

Opinions of the TenPoint Venom? Introduced as top of their line in 2014, 372 fps, light weight, and accurate. Gotta good lead on one, lightly used.

If you can afford it get a ravin.

My r-9 is awesomeness!

TenPoint makes great crossbows and their customer service is excellent. I shoot the Turbo XLT.

In my opinion, a lot depends on how much you plan to shoot. If you are like most guys and shoot a few shots to sight in and maybe a few periodically to keep fresh, any of the bows mentioned work great. If you plan to shoot a lot, look at Excalibur or Kodabow. Much easier to work on and less prone to problems due to their simplicity. You can get Triggertech trigger for Excalibur (ten point and a few others as well). Kodabow trigger is very nice out of the box. Just something to think about as you can change your own string with either of these, and no pulleys and cams to get out of time or need other adjustments that require a tech.

Yeah, my wife shoots a TP Titan SS. They also own and make Horton's now too.

Get the Venom and forget about that 200 yd non-sense with a crossbow.

Kids, women or anyone else making consistent shots into a 3" circle at 200 yards is all in the crossbow? Lmao I know a lot hunters couldn't hold that with a bench rest rifle. It's the trigger puller that does the job. I'd like to see all these 200 yard bullseyes. Nice backdoor comments. Then again, you're no stranger to the backdoor. 😉

Big woods, have you shot a Ravin?


I only shoot mine about to about 60 yards. Most is about 40 yards. I only shoot once per bullseye. Otherwise I break bolts.

Nope, never shot one. I have shot with people that are hunters with a more than capable rifle to put a hole in a 3" dot at 200 yards that can't. Just saying "everyone" doing it easily is a big stretch.

It's all info coming from a person that has fought against crossbow use for years so take it for what it's worth.

Do they lack the self discipline to be a decent shot?

Even if they can pull the shot off in a open field , not sure how that will pan out in the woods . The trajectory of the bolt at 100 yds would probably get the bolt deflected by low hanging limbs , no telling how high that bolt would be mid range of 200 yds . Plus still having enough energy to get into the vitals .
Kenneth

I guess I'm not sure where you are going with that. Are you saying all the people that shot the Ravin have self discipline and regularly shoot enough to be pulling off "easy" 200 yards shots no matter the weapon?

My guess is very few people in the general hunting population have that type of "self discipline" or skill to have a 200 yard shot be easy.

How many people did you personally witness making a 200 yard shot with the Ravin in the 3" dot?

I do the same with my center point sniper. I'd be smashing arrows constantly at 40 yards if I didn't.

The Ravin R10 is all you need in their line. Don’t worry about the 200 yard R20. Personally, I feel as though 100 is too far for a crossbow. The advantages of the Ravin are truly nice. Their cocking system, along with the decocking system are superb. The bolt doesn’t ride on the rail either. It’s phenomenal is close quarters because of overall width. If I were buying a crossbow today, I’d do myself a favor and check out the Ravin.

The parent company of Crosman just bought Ravin for 94 million. Not knocking a Centerpoint, but if they truly thought they had the best bow in the business they wouldn’t have dropped nearly $100,000,000 for Ravin’s technology.

Excaliber is the way to go

The Ravin isn't legal for hunting here in NY. Doesn't meet the minimum 16" width requirement. Even if it were legal, the vast majority of crossbow hunters aren't going to spend that much on a crossbow. The Center Point Sniper 370 is a standout in performance/value in the under 600.00 crossbow market. I'm sure the Ravin is a standout in the high end market but they are not competing with the Center Point's in that market.

I also have a Koda bow. It has a custom Excalibur 355 micro front end. But the rear adjustable stock is awfully rattling and noisy. I have to figure out something there. The trigger is not like the ravin r 9 .

However the ravin is very uncomfortable carrying cross country with the sling that came with it.

All in all I still prefer shooting my Hoyt rampage, or bear recurves.

Looking at getting a used TenPoint Venom for a little more than the cost of that Centerpoint Sniper mentioned above.

the excaliber is a good crossbow, not a compound but is very accurate

Before I bought my crossbow I shot pretty much everything available. Since I bought it I shoot everything I can at every opportunity. I only have experience with one Ravin, an R-9, not long after they came out, but I did shoot it quite a bit. I tested it shooting at 20 yards which was all i had available. I found it less accurate than Excaliburs, and most other compound crossbows. It was not a lot less accurate, but it was quite consistently so. I laid it off to a combination of the goofy arrow rest and the tight string pinch required of the nock because of the rest. With most of the rail based rests I could consistently get accuracy using the same arrow shot after shot to put that arrow back into the same hole as many times as I wished. The half moon nock designs were capable of being a little less accurate which I think was due to slight off center nocks. The flat backed Excalibur design produced the best accuracy if the rail was properly aligned.

None of the crossbows I put through their paces was inaccurate to the point of being a concern about putting the arrow precisely where you wanted it at 20 yards. So, unless a person is bound and determined to do something stupid, any of them would be better than vertical bows for general deer hunting. The degree to which they are better is shooter dependent and not easily measured across the general hunting population. All of them had the power to drive and arrow completely through Bambi at normal range and a double lung even with a large 4 blade head.

If you believe noise is a significant issue, some are quieter and some are louder. None will get past a deer's ears at bow ranges.

Speed helps, but realistically, you have to be moving an arrow awfully fast to discount the deer's ability to move much past 20 yards. That would be speed well beyond the capability of today's arrows and bows.

The ease of maintenance and use of the Excaliburs is probably the largest difference between the crossbows. Some ( Ravins) require pretty specialized nocks. The half moon nocks can and will cut strings on the first shot with them at the wrong angle and that can damage the bow and the shooter.

FWIW:

When it became apparent I was going to be hunting public land for the forseeable future, I decided to invest in a crossbow to give me more time in the woods, and that before the deer all get run off to safe zones. Didn't want something that required a bunch of periodic maintenance like most compounds, so I went for an Excalibur. Anything that needs doing, I can do myself. Bought a Matrix Bulldog 380, in an upgraded package featuring their better scope. Had it together in minutes. So far, every shot I've taken, even before I adjusted the scope, would have skewered a deer. I've checked the zero out to 50 yards, probably farther than I'll ever get a shot at. The broadheads I picked shoot to the same spot as field points up to 30 yards so far; more testing to follow. I bought the special crank for my bow so I could practice without ruining my back. Cost me a bit, but it's quality kit. Another edge for Excaliburs is that they can be decocked.

Not saying there aren't better bows, or ones just as good for less money, but this thing is a slam-dunk for easy, accurate, and reliable. All told, including extra bolts, string, broadheads, two targets, and crank, I'm in it for $1500-$1600, and I expect it will last as long as I need it to.

Yep, wouldn't trade mine for anything other than a newer one.

I have had a pile of crossbows both compound and recurve and IMO Excalibur is the way to go, they are light and tough and very easy to work on and unlike most compounds you can decock them, that is a big plus cause its a real pain to have to shoot your bow to unload, its means either shooting an arrow into the ground (this is hard on arrows even the dummy discharge arrows usually dont last long) or having a discharge target around somewhere........Good luck .....Hb

I picked up a TenPoint Vapor from the Bass Pro Outlet store at their annual clearance event. I was out the door with for less than $700 for a sealed box model. It is stupid accurate and quiet. It is 80 yards from my back deck to the backyard turnip patch. The bow is very capable of hitting a 8" circle consistently shooting off of a Bog Pod tripod. Honestly, if I could still shoot a bow again, I would sell the crossbow as it takes away some of the excitement.

The center point sniper can also be decocked without shooting. That said I really don't understand the big deal with decocking. I just throw my x-bow target in the back of my Jeep when I go hunting and decock by shooting an arrow into it at the end of the day.

Get the ravin and dont look back best xbow out there But remember you stuck with buying there acc. arrows nocks still worth it love mine

You can also decock a Stryker Katana 385, it has the Tenpoint anti-dryfire system.......I think some Mission bows may have a let down feature but Im not sure......I have owned many brands of crossbows that I had to carry a decocking target with me when I went hunting ( I got tired of ruining arrows by shooting them in the ground) this means you must carry your still cocked bow out of the woods... Many times I had to carry my unloaded but cocked crossbow a few miles in rough terrain back to my truck. I did this one time only to find that someone had stolen My unloading target from the back of My truck. A buddy of mine was not so lucky, the thieves in his case actually busted out the back window of his Toyota 4Runner to steal his target ( this happened in Ohio) so this meant he went the last 4 days of our hunt and the 5 hour drive home with no back window....(PVC plasteek and duct tape back window) ....Now I only buy bows that have a decocking feature.......Good hunting.....Hb

Barnett BCR.
150 LB recurve
Anti-Dryfire
Adjustable length.

$119.00 on amazon
$128.00 at walmart when they have them.

carbon express arrows from walmart and 100 grain fixed muzzy's.

I used the above to take a 7 point buck last year at 34 yards. Complete pass-through. I have 2 other friends that have the same simple set up. It works and keeps on working now for 3 years and 14 pigs (9 of those were complete pass- throughs) later it is still working.

We all carry in a lightweight backpack a 22 inch bolt with a golf ball drilled and glued to the front. That is our decockng bolt. Fired into the ground never a problem.

Its not hard and its not rocket science.

Good hunting.

HEAVY.

Some good info and opinions here.... Due to a shoulder injury, I may be looking to An Xbow for a while. What about the inverted limbed designs? The longer travel of the string transferring energy to the bolt seems it would be an advantage to me with the inverted limbs (?).
Has anyone shot both types that can compare the *recoil* feel or lack there of?

Also, I have watched YouTube videos at those bragging about 100 and 200 yard shot capabilitys. The arc height in between the shooter and target looks to be about 6 to 12 feet. That pretty much negates taking advantage of extremely long shots in a wooded environment, or even typical hunting ranges in more open environments without major compensation.

Recoil is negligible with any crossbow I have shot. The rainbow trajectory for long shots is not the thing that should preclude those shots at game so much as the fact that the game animal has almost a week to move after you loose the arrow. Crossbows are loud. Crossbows do cause deer to jump. Even the fastest of crossbows allow time for Bambi to move SOME at as little as 20 yards. Moving a small amount may be worse than moving a lot.

M58, I was just wondering what the effect of the inertia would be with the inverted limbs moving in the opposite direction.

I brought mine home at noon and shot a field point into my target. Gave me a chance to check my sights after banging around the woods all morning. A potential snag is the law here restricts carrying a bow uncased in your vehicle during certain hours, and most cases won't hold a cocked bow. I bundle mine up in a shooting mat.

Ten Point is still the industry standard, although, Ravin is quickly nudging Ten Point out of that slot.

We have both a Horton Vision (reverse limb) & an Excalibur recurve.

Both excellent crossbow, both have taken game.

The narrow width of the Horton is fantastic in tight spots, or when maneuvering in & out of stand/blinds.

The Excalibur is certainly simpler & more robust, but it is also the louder of the 2.

Neither has noticeable recoil.

Decocking really does not matter. If you can cock the bow by hand, you can decock it by hand. It is quite simple, and I do it all the time. Just set it ready to fire, no arrow, aimed down, foot in the stirrup, grab the bow string with one hand firmly and put some tension on it. Fire the crossbow, it will jerk some, but not badly, let it down by hand. My crossbow is a Horton or a Barnett (I have 2) and I do it one handed every time I am done shooting and need to decock.

I couldn't disagree more. I have the R9 and would gladly sell it, trade it, whatever to get my Excalibur back again. Ravin is not for everyone, believe me.

I believe it is also the most unsafe Xbow out there. All of them should be treated with the utmost respect, but the ravin requires more IMO. Hurt my hand last year pretty badly decocking this bow, this injury could of happen to anybody, and I thank god I didn't lose a finger. Many people have injured themselves with the R9 if you do a google search.

Yes, I would sell mine in a heartbeat if anyone is interested.

I had a TP Turbo XLT and saw a eight pointed at 74 yards last year. I was not comfortable with that range on my TP. I could have hit but not sure if it would have brought it down. So I decided to pass on it.

Fast forward to this year, sold the TP XLT and used the funds to place a deposit on a Ravin R20 Sniper. I have practicing with it and can do 3 bolts within 3” at 75 yds with penetration. Last Saturday, I took it to range and did 3” grouping at 100 yds. Waited for the crosswinds to settle down, turned the dial to the highest setting (160 yds) and aimed the Vortex Eagle scope to the second crosshair below center. Shot the bolt (100gr), I thought I shot low, but the rest of the guys cheered as they saw the target bag tipped backwards with penetration at 200 yds. High about 3” and to the right 5” with a 4 mph crosswind coming from my left. Not bad!!! But would I trust it from 100 yds and in: HELLYEAH

With the Ravin R20 you decock it unlike the TP you would have to fire the practice dummy bolts to clear your bow. I wish that Ravin would have made the side pocket on the soft bag about two inches longer so that I can place the quiver & bolts in it.

For what it’s worth, TP Customer Service was superb! I have not had to deal with Ravin yet but at least they are close in Wisc.

Basically any xbow should suit your specific needs. Do the research and snoop around the range to what others are using. You get what you pay for!!

Is the bow tech on the ARplatform any good?

Well, I ended up getting the Tenpoint Venom and ended up trading my Creed for it. Nice, light weight and accurate. Took this guy Saturday at 18 yds, hard quartering away, arrow entered just behind last right rib and exited brisket just inside left foreleg. He ran about 30 yds, stopped and swayed, tried to run again, and stumbled about 10 more yards and went down for good. Very happy with the bow. Thanks for all the suggestions and input.

bludog

Another Happy Ending! Congratulations. These things are amazing.

Tenpoint using a Tenpoint. Awesome story & pic. Congrats.

Tenpoint using a Tenpoint. Awesome story & pic. Congrats!!

May I inquire which broadheads you used for this wonderful set-up??

Yeah, the bolt blew right through him. Our archery requirements changed a year or two ago allowing crossbows for bow season hunting. I'd not been successful with my compound, this was almost too easy in comparison.

I was just using a Muzzy Trocar. It shot very close to the field points when sighting in, and was definitely minute of deer accurate out to 40 yds. And it did a great job on this guy.

Congratulations!

I used my father-in-laws $700.00 Wicked Ridge Ten Point to kill this one last Thursday. I normally shoot a Matthews Creed but this buck started showing up at a blind that is hard to shoot a compound out of so I took his crossbow. If I was going to buy one I would get a Excalibur.

I have an Excalibur and am completely happy. All this talk of 200 yard shots is fun for target shooting. I think it would be unethical on animals. The flight time on a crossbow bolt is just too long.